Humans are naturally born self-centred. Gratitude and caring about people are things we learn in childhood. The modern society does a poor job of teaching children gratitude. Children have everything handed to them whenever they wish. This makes them poor at showing appreciation because they feel self-entitled.
Consequently, children may fail to acknowledge those who take care of them. Martial arts training enables children to develop a good sense of gratitude. This teaches them to respect and appreciate the gifts and opportunities life brings.
Children with gratitude can overcome self-contentedness to see how parents, teachers and other people around them help. Kids who never learn gratitude develop a sense of entitlement and feel perpetually disappointed. Studies have shown that learning gratitude has psychological benefits.
For example, it increases awareness of the world and increases the levels of pleasure and joy. Gratitude also increases the level of optimism. Gratitude is also linked to social benefits. Grateful people are less likely to report feeling lonely because they are compassionate, outgoing and generous with others.
Martial arts teach children gratitude by helping them see how other people’s talents contribute to their success. Moreover, when martial art instructors teach children gratitude, they sometimes ask them to visualise it. The teacher may ask students to visualise what gratitude looks and feels like when giving or receiving it.
Furthermore, during training in martial arts, students are encouraged to show gratitude for everything they have. The gratitude not only extends to material things, but also to support, opportunities and guidance others provide in life. In martial arts classes, students are also encouraged to show gratitude through their words and actions. This can be done in several ways. For example, saying “thank you” is the simplest way of showing gratitude after a favour.
When children learn the importance of gratitude earlier in life, they start to give and receive it. For instance, at home, they will show appreciation to their parents. At school, they will show appreciation for their teachers. To friends, they will be grateful for the companionship.
The gratitude we have towards the world is what determines how happy and rich we become. People can have all the material things they wish for and not be happy. On the contrary, people with gratitude can have little and still be cheerful. In martial arts, children are taught to smile as opposed to complaining when faced with challenges. This enables them to overcome big challenges with a positive attitude and motivation.
You’ve probably noted the important role gratitude plays in our lives. Apart from martial arts instructors, parents also teach children gratitude. Parents can teach their children gratitude by teaching them to appreciate natural things in life, like nature, animals and even people. Another way of teaching your children gratitude is having a “thank you” session. You can encourage your children to say thanks for all the good things that happen that day. Involving your children in household chores is another great way of teaching gratitude.